Powder Stability

A large percentage of the processing problems with powders and granular materials are caused by the behavior of the powder changing as it is handled or used. The powder starts out normally and seems to be acceptable but after some handling or processing it no longer behaves as expected. For example, a powder flows well coming out of a plant. But when the user transfers it through a pneumatic conveyor, it no longer flows well. The conveying has changed the material in an unexpected way.

To avoid these problems, we recommend running a number of tests that stress the powder or granular material and measure if its behavior changes. These tests include time unconfined yield strength and caking analysis, granulation, fluidization, and attrition.